Analysis of soil samples from Kosovo by XRFS and ICP-QMS

A number of soil samples were collected from locations in Kosovo by staff of the then Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and since renamed to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), an agency of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). Twenty three samples were collected from DERA, Portsmouth and transported in two aluminium trunks to the British Geological Survey (BGS) on 14 February 2001 for geochemical analysis for the determination of lead and uranium and particle size analysis if significant uranium content was encountered. All samples had been screened by gamma ray spectrometry at DERA to identify which samples had significant uranium signatures and were thus likely to be contaminated with depleted uranium (DU). During sampling at one site, Old VJ Barracks, it was noted that a building close to the sampling sites had had an asbestos roof. Consequently, 8 samples were identified as having suspicion of containing asbestos (Table 1). This report is supplementary to BGS Commissioned Report CR/01/071 (Gowing, 2001a) and CR/01/123 (Gowing, 2001b), which described the first stages of analysis of a number of soil samples by X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry for determination of U and Pb content.